Kazekage Ninja-Chapter 45: Arms Race

A string of emergencies in Sunagakure allowed Jinghang's wartime mobilization order to pass swiftly and without resistance. The hearing committee's authority was suspended, and the entire village shifted into direct "military governance" under the command headquarters. The staff department's telegraphs crackled nonstop; as one military order after another was issued, standing army units stationed across the land began boarding warships and converging on Sunagakure.

Acting Kazekage Rasa mobilized four thousand reserve shinobi to build a sprawling military camp at Tōryōguan, twenty kilometers east of Sunagakure, to house the incoming forces.

Meanwhile, the Hourglass Group, Silver Sand Pharmaceuticals, and the Moon Lake New District Agricultural Reclamation Base were all placed under "military control" by the logistics and equipment departments. All export orders had to be fulfilled within a month—after that, only domestic orders would be accepted. The Hourglass Group's foreign branches (except those in the Land of Lightning) began taking inventory, gathering funds, and evacuating personnel, temporarily ceasing operations. Massive machines thundered to life, churning out and stockpiling food, ninja tools, medicine, and all manner of strategic supplies.

By rights, this should have been a golden age for war profiteers—but before you can get rich off a war, you have to survive the first round.

There's really no choice in the matter. You can't have the arms trade booming outside while your own shinobi don't even have kunai to use. Don't doubt it—this sort of thing actually happened during the Soviet-Afghan War. Afghan guerrillas wielded brand-new AK-47s straight from the Izhevsk arms factory, while Soviet soldiers had to make do with battered rifles, their rifling worn smooth, scavenged from fallen comrades. Why? Because the military reps at the arms factories could make four times the official procurement price by smuggling just one rifle. If you got issued a dusty Mosin-Nagant or PPSh from storage, that was already a mercy.

First, fill your own stockpiles—there'll be plenty of chances to do business later.

And it wasn't just Sunagakure. Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, even the far-flung Kirigakure across the sea were all frantically hoarding war supplies. For a time, the entire shinobi continent was gripped by a sense of impending doom, as if the clouds of war might descend at any moment.

The only oasis of peace was, surprisingly, the Yuexi Peninsula in the Land of Wind!

As the entertainment, gambling, and financial capital of the shinobi world—and Sunagakure's own money vault—dignitaries and big shots from every country and village had snapped up real estate here. Thanks to its peninsular geography, it was easy to defend: simply close the Sand-Yue Expressway and the Yue-Tang Expressway (the route from Yuexi Peninsula to Yugakure), and the area becomes a sealed fortress. Both highway entrances were already fortified with Arhat Puppet Formations.

This turned Yuexi Peninsula into a magnet for political elites, minor daimyō, noble clans, and wealthy merchants—all flooding in with their families. The place was soon bursting at the seams, raking in more money than in peacetime. The rent for a single tiny room reached astronomical heights, and even then, there was no supply to meet the demand. Even Jinghang rented out his own villa to a tycoon from the Land of Lightning for fifty million ryō a month—exactly what it cost to build. (Think: the Shanghai International Settlement during the war.)

To protect this "abnormal" prosperity, when Jinghang mobilized the army, not only did he leave the entire 4th Division garrison untouched, he even pulled two reserve regiments to reinforce Maki's command. Every month, tons of daily necessities were shipped to the peninsula via the Sand-Yue Expressway.

Yuexi Peninsula was simply too important—anyone with status in Sunagakure had a stake in it. The fate of thousands of Suna citizens was tied to this place. Jinghang gave Maki a death order: for the next five years, no matter what happens—even if Sunagakure itself falls—the peninsula must be held at all costs, or else bring back your head.

In just three months, all deployments were essentially complete. Sunagakure now stood like a samurai gripping his blade, poised and ready, every muscle tensed for a thunderous strike.

Such a massive military mobilization naturally didn't escape the notice of the other great villages. At that very moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was hunched over a map, magnifying glass in hand, scrutinizing the Land of Wind.

Minato Namikaze stood quietly at his side, posture respectful and attentive.

Thanks to his stellar performance in the recent counterattack against Kumogakure, Minato had been promoted straight to Hokage's personal guard. Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken a real liking to this sharp, level-headed grand-disciple—Minato's style and attitude fit his own tastes perfectly, and his advice was always on point. More and more, Hiruzen found himself seeking Minato's opinions.

"Minato, what's your take on Sunagakure's current deployment?" Hiruzen asked.

"Extremely shrewd," Minato replied, crisp and succinct.

"Oh? How so?" Hiruzen turned to look at him.

Without hesitation, Minato stepped up to the map. "Sunagakure's main defensive priorities are threefold: the Moon Lake New District, Sunagakure proper, and the Yuexi Peninsula. These three points are strung out west to east, connected by the Crystal Expressway. A layout like this would normally stretch the defense line thin and scatter their forces.

But Third Kazekage Jinghang's deployment is masterful. He's concentrated the bulk of his troops at the village core—like drawing a bow to its full extent. No matter where the enemy strikes, Sunagakure's advanced highway system lets them redeploy instantly. They're fighting on home turf, with easy resupply and the speed advantage of their sand warships. I'd bet any assault force—even ten thousand strong—would be decisively crushed."

"Mm, your analysis is spot-on. I was just thinking: if I had to attack Sunagakure, how would I do it? And the answer is—even if Konoha threw every ninja we have at them, we'd probably still fail."

"You're thinking of attacking Sunagakure?" Minato asked in surprise.

"No, no. Just a thought experiment." Hiruzen smiled and shook his head. "I'm not that foolish. The endless desert supply lines alone would bleed us dry. Konoha isn't nearly rich enough for that."

Minato let out a breath of relief.

"But our war with Kumogakure is looming, and Sunagakure's their ally in the west. We can't fight on two fronts," Hiruzen mused.

"I think Commander Danzō's Amegakure plan is sound. As long as we control Amegakure, we and Sunagakure keep each other in check. Given Jinghang's temperament, he's not the type to gamble on launching a war first," Minato said.

"Huh, you seem to know a lot about Kazekage Jinghang. I don't recall you two ever meeting."

"We did, actually. He presented me an award at the Second World Ninja Tournament."

"Ah, my memory! But just from that, you know him this well?"

"To be honest, after meeting him, I studied his entire record—especially his command during the Second Shinobi World War and the Wind-Fire campaign."

"Oh? Any insights?"

"Impeccable. Frankly, I think he's a brilliant strategist—his grasp of the battlefield and razor-sharp strategic vision are unmatched in the ninja world."

Minato's admiration was clear in his eyes.

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